Hello Tweets,

The Great Blue Herons seen near the I-90/Lake Washington
area may have been going to or coming from the Mercer Slough. I
believe there is a small rookery there. GBH's start gathering at
these places quite early in the year; sixteen were seen at the
rookery at the base of Peasley Canyon in Auburn Jan. 30th. They
don't frequent the trees during fall or early winter but start
gathering to stake out nest sites and perhaps to choose mates as
well. Foraging herons I see, usually go about their business alone
although congregations in rich feeding grounds can make them seem
a little less reclusive. If you've never watched herons at the
nest I suggest you check it out some time. Although it might seem
a bit slow at first, you're bound to see some interesting behavior
eventually. They throw some pretty mean jabs at each other with their
dagger-like bills as they vie for space and attraction displays are
frequent also. Check out the "Stokes guide to behavior of Common
Birds" (or a title to that effect) for good info. There are several
volumes of this book now so be sure and find the one including
Great Blues.
Last year I led a field trip to the Black River Slough in
Renton for our Parks Department. A Bald Eagle spooked the herons
and they flew out of the trees and circled over our heads croaking
like only they can. I think I counted 25 or so birds overhead at
once; quite a concert!

Jim Flynn
Renton, WA
bf519 at scn.org